More water will soon be released from Yankton’s Gavins Point Dam.
The US Army Corps of Engineers plans to increase releases from the dam from 35,000 cubic feet per second to 41,000 cfs later this week, weather conditions permitting.
Corps officials say the increase is part of a commitment to remain as aggressive as possible with releases to maintain available flood control storage space in anticipation of above normal runoff for 2020.
John Remus, chief of the Corps’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division, says this will provide the greatest amount of flood risk reduction across the basin.
Releases will only be increased as long as the resulting downstream river stages are unlikely to impact the levee recovery effort, or contribute to downstream flooding.
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Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he took part in a “top secret” briefing in a congressional chamber this morning to discuss the impact of the coronavirus.
Grassley didn’t reveal many details of the briefing but did say he met with officials from several federal agencies involved with public health.
Grassley downplayed the security level of the meeting but says coronavirus is being taken very seriously from both health and economic angles.
Some Iowa businesses that rely on China for the bulk of their products report they’re being hurt by the massive quarantines in those countries that have halted production on a host of goods.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1,000 points Monday – its worst drop in two years – based on Wall Street fears of the coronavirus throttling financial markets.
Grassley says he’s confident health officials in the U.S. are handling the virus situation properly.
He emphasizes that the big worry is how other nations are responding and how they’re communicating about outbreaks.
The number of coronavirus cases has exceeded 80,000 globally with more than 2,700 deaths, most of them in China.
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A Sioux City man was arrested on a variety of charges shortly after midnight Tuesday morning.
A Plymouth County deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by 25-year-old Gustavo Marquez.
Marquez presented the deputy a barred Iowa driver’s license and was found to have outstanding arrest warrants in Sioux County.
Marquez was arrested for driving while barred and the three Sioux County warrants and booked into the Plymouth County Jail.
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A few kids who’ve operated lemonade stands in Iowa have had a sour experience with the law.
That’s because the iconic child-run lemonade stand is technically illegal in Iowa.
A bill to change that status passed the Iowa House Monday night by unanimous vote.
In 2011, police shut down at least three lemonade stands in Coralville the kids didn’t get a permit or under a health inspection to run a food stand on the day RAGBRAI – the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa – came to town.
The bill passed by the Iowa House would give kids under the age of 18 a pass on having to apply for business and food permits if they sell baked goods as well as beverages.
Purina says it’s adding about 60 jobs with plant expansion
CLINTON, Iowa (AP) — Nestlé Purina has announced it will expand operations at its Clinton plant and create about 60 new jobs. A company news release says the $140 million investment will add processing and packaging lines for dry pet food, which has grown about 7% in the past year. Purina first opened in Clinton in 1969 and now employs 360 workers. The company says the Clinton factory plays a unique role in the company’s network of 21 factories across the country. It’s a a hub for innovation and design of new products, in addition to producing flagship food brands.
Ex-school bus driver pleads not guilty to sexual misconduct
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A former school bus driver in Cedar Rapids accused of sexual misconduct is scheduled to go on trial May 11. Linn County court records say Thomas Williams pleaded not guilty last week to misdemeanor charges of false imprisonment and sexually exploitation by a school employee. Investigators have said Williams forced a 10-year-old girl to sit on his lap inside the bus he drove Jan. 2 in a district parking lot. Court documents say he grabbed the girl’s head and tried to kiss her before she pulled away and left the bus. The district has since fired Williams.
$10M judgment to stand against man acquitted in mom’s death
KNOXVILLE, Iowa (AP) — A judge has again ruled that a $10 million civil trial verdict holding a man responsible for his mother’s death will stand although the man was acquitted after a criminal trial on a murder charge. Marion County Judge Martha Mertz released her decision Monday in the case against Jason Carter. The civil verdict ordered him to pay the money to his mother’s estate. His father had filed a wrongful death lawsuit against his son, saying Jason fatally shot Shirley Carter in June 2015 to gain access to his parents’ assets. In March a jury found Jason Carter not guilty of the murder charge.
Man who’d broken through lake ice rescued in southeast Iowa
DRAKESVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Nearly 30 people joined forces to help an ice fisherman who’d plunged into the frigid water of Lake Wapello in southeast Iowa. The Iowa Natural Resources Department says the man was packing up to leave the ice Monday evening when he broke through about 150 yards from shore. A man on shore saw what happened and called 911. The first responders soon arrived and were able to get the man out of the water, back onto shore and then to a hospital. His name hasn’t been released. The lake sits a few miles west of Drakesville in Davis County.
Iowa man guilty in 1979 killing of high school student
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Jurors have convicted a man of murder in the killing of an Iowa high school student more than 40 years ago. It took jurors about three hours to convict 66-year-old Jerry Burns of first-degree murder in the December 1979, stabbing death of 18-year-old Michelle Martinko. Her body was found inside her family’s car at a Cedar Rapids shopping mall. Police arrested Burns on Dec. 19, 2018, at his Manchester, Iowa, business. It was the 39th anniversary of Martinko’s death. Burns was linked to the crime by DNA evidence. Burns didn’t testify, and his defense called only one witness. In Iowa, first-degree murder carries a mandatory term of life in prison.
